"Because of you": Shaquille O'Neal credits Allen Iverson for ushering culture change and getting 'tatted'

Shaquille O'Neal arrived in the NBA in 1992 as the No. 1 pick of the Orlando Magic four years before Allen Iverson entered the league. Shaq, even early in his career, was already a huge influence among players much older than him. He had the persona and the talent to naturally attract the attention and adoration of many.

Iverson had nowhere near the build and height that O’Neal had but arguably had the bigger crowd-drawing magnetism. “AI” wasn’t an All-Star in his rookie year like Shaq was but the diminutive point guard was already one of the league’s most sought-after players. Iverson even captivated the emerging hip-hop crowd.

Allen Iverson had so much persona that his influence and impact extended beyond the basketball court. Shaquille O'Neal had this to say about what Iverson meant to him and others even when “The Answer” was still a few years in the NBA:

(13:20 mark)

“I always rocked the chains but when we saw him [Iverson] took all the battles for us, I’m tatted because of you. My whole body is tatted because of you. … After he did it, people just accepted it.”

Allen Iverson’s only tattoo when he entered the NBA was a bulldog, which Iverson did to honor his alma mater, the Georgetown Bulldogs. “AI” admitted that once he got into pro basketball, he became addicted to tattoos and started getting them all over his body. Soon, he was the walking poster boy of everything the league did not want the players to become.

Iverson ushered in an era that combined music, baggy clothing, jewelry and of course, tattoos. He represented what NBA fashion was like in the late ‘90s and early 2000s. With Michael Jordan coming back from a second retirement to play with the Washington Wizards, most players no longer wanted “to be like Mike.” They wanted to become like the hip-hop phenom with the skills and swagger to dominate basketball.

Shaquille O'Neal’s rap leanings became even more pronounced during that time. Reebok, the brand Allen Iverson has endorsed to this day, brought in the rapper Jadakiss for an advertisement with “AI.” There was no turning back and players to this day hold Iverson in such high regard for what he brought into the NBA.

---

Shaquille O'Neal revealed it was Allen Iverson who taught him to be himself

Shaquille O'Neal grew up under the strict supervision of his stepfather but he also wanted to be himself. For this reason, he tried to find a middle ground early in his career in the NBA. Allen Iverson’s influence, however, made him feel more comfortable to follow his own path.

Here’s what the legendary LA Lakers big man had to say about what he learned from Iverson:

(14:55)

“You taught me to be myself, too.”

Iverson responded:

“I mean, everybody else is taken up! Why not be you? I can’t stand it when people just don’t love who God created. God created you, that’s disrespect if you wanna be something else."

Rarely does Shaquille O'Neal look at someone in awe. In his podcast, it felt that way when he talked to and about Allen Iverson. Shaq said that he envied everything that Iverson was in the NBA. Coming from a four-time champ with a truckload of accolades, that has to mean that “AI” is a legend on and off the court.